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Kevin C. Cox

There was enough basketball talent assembled at Atlanta’s State Farm Arena on Sunday to avoid a total dud.

Stephen Curry and Damian Lillard took turns draining three-pointers from half-court. Curry and Chris Paul improbably set each other up for alley-oops. Giannis Antetokounmpo, full of energy throughout a choppy and loose contest, went 16 for 16 from the field, including a banked-in three-pointer that brought a wide smile. And Lillard sealed a ­170-150 blowout victory for a team captained by LeBron James over a team captained by Kevin Durant with a 40-foot three-pointer that he punctuated with his signature wrist tap celebration.

But the NBA’s 70th All-Star Game, delayed by the coronavirus pandemic and <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2021/02/18/nba-all-star-game-2021/?itid=lk_interstitial_manual_10" target=_blank>salvaged amid countless player complaints</a>, will be remembered as the Not Quite All-Star Game. Unfortunately, not all the stars could make it.

Keeping up with the list of absences for the made-for-television showcase got to be dizzying. Team Durant was missing its namesake, who skipped out on the festivities because of a hamstring injury. Anthony Davis had to be replaced by Devin Booker because of an Achilles’ injury, then Booker had to be replaced by Mike Conley when Booker suffered a knee injury days before the event. Then, hours before tip-off, Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons were scratched after they had contact with a barber who tested positive for the coronavirus. There wasn’t sufficient time to find replacements.

That flurry of roster changes opened starting spots for Jayson Tatum and Zion Williamson and a reserve selection for Domantas Sabonis, but it also resurrected questions about whether the single-day event should have been held at all considering health concerns and the league’s condensed schedule.

“I thought we could have looked at it a little bit differently,” James said Sunday, referencing his belief that the league should have taken the week off for a midseason break rather than hold the All-Star Game. “Obviously, something like that happening is something we all thought could possibly happen. I hate the fact that Joel and Ben will not be able to play today because of that.”

Bradley Beal pushed his way into the NBA’s elite, and his All-Star Game start was validation

James’s team dominated throughout, winning the first quarter, 40-39, and taking the second quarter, 60-41. The 36-year-old James, who finished with four points in 13 minutes, opted to sit out the entire third quarter, which his team won, 46-45, and the fourth quarter, which Team Durant won, 25-24. Antetokounmpo paced all scorers with 35 points to lead Team LeBron to the overall win and claim MVP honors. Lillard finished with 32 points, Curry added 28 points, and both guards drilled eight three-pointers for Team LeBron in the victory. Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal led the undermanned Team Durant with 26 points.

“It’s fun,” Antetokounmpo said of his perfect shooting night. “I was happy. My teammates had fun. Just being around great players, it’s easy to play.”

The game in Atlanta, which was agreed to during extensive conversations between the NBA and the National Basketball Players Association, took place in front of 1,500 spectators after the original plans for a full All-Star Weekend to be held in Indianapolis were scrapped before the season because of the pandemic. The makeshift nature of the rescheduled event was evident in many ways, including the jerseys: Team LeBron wore yellow while Team Durant wore blue, a color scheme that nodded to the Indiana Pacers, the original hosts.

The players were shuttled quickly in and out of Atlanta and kept isolated in a “mini-bubble” to reduce the possibility of spreading the virus. There were no team practices before the game, and in lieu of the typical media day madhouse, the players conducted virtual interviews from their hotel rooms. That made it easier for Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving to skip his session entirely.

Electronic boards with virtual fans watching remotely, like the ones used in the Disney World bubble last summer and fall, were set up behind the team benches to obscure empty seats. Although players could bring family members to the event, fake crowd noise was pumped in to improve the ambiance in the mostly empty arena. As it happened, the all-stars weren’t the only ones who needed replacements. TNT had to call on Dwyane Wade to fill in for analyst Charles Barkley, who missed out to attend his daughter’s wedding.

“I personally didn’t agree with the game, but it is what it is,” Los Angeles Clippers forward Paul George said Sunday, reflecting a grin-and-bear-it mentality shared by numerous players in recent weeks.

Perspective | The NBA trudges on. And on. And on. And on.

The subdued night did feature extensive tributes to historically Black colleges and universities — including a pregame interview with Vice President Harris and a live rendition of the national anthem by Gladys Knight — and a solid slate of auxiliary events.

Sabonis, the Pacers’ center, defeated Nikola Vucevic to claim the skills challenge title, becoming the fourth big man in the past six years to win the obstacle course event. Curry claimed his second three-point contest crown in seven tries, drilling a clutch “money ball” three-pointer from the right corner to edge Conley by a point in the final round.

“[My mind] kind of went blank,” Curry said, when asked about the clinching moment. “Whatever crowd is in here, I could hear the temperature rise a little bit. It was an awesome competition. I’m glad I got it done.”

At halftime of the All-Star Game, Portland Trail Blazers guard Anfernee Simons defeated Cassius Stanley of the Pacers and Obi Toppin of the New York Knicks to win the slam dunk contest. While Simons didn’t deliver a classic performance like Vince Carter’s or Zach LaVine’s in years past, he pulled off a clean program that included the use of a small hoop placed at the top of the backboard and a spinning Tracy McGrady tribute.

The title-sealing slam saw Simons float in the air and <a href="https://twitter.com/NBAonTNT/status/1368758423030927364" target=_blank>kiss at the rim</a> before finishing with his right hand. Toppin, who jumped over his father and teammate Julius Randle in the first round, finished second.

“I just wanted to show my strengths, that I can jump pretty high and get creative with the mini-hoop,” Simons said. “I was pretty nervous coming in. A lot of people didn’t know I could jump high. I just showed my talents.”

Simons was cheered on from the sidelines by his teammate Lillard, but a star-studded judging panel that included Dominique Wilkins and Spud Webb wasn’t enough to make up for the lack of pomp and circumstance in the mostly empty building. The dunk contest could have used an assist from LaVine and Williamson, who both competed in the All-Star Game but passed on the halftime act.

“[To be honest] this wasn’t the most exciting Slam Dunk competition I’ve ever seen,” Magic Johnson <a href="https://twitter.com/MagicJohnson/status/1368759295798472705" target=_blank>wrote on Twitter</a>.

It was an appropriately muted summation of an evening that felt incomplete.

Read more on the <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/nba/" target=_blank>NBA</a>:

<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2021/03/06/adam-silver-nba-address/">Adam Silver ‘optimistic’ about NBA schedule, return of fans thanks to vaccine progress</a>

<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2021/02/27/lebron-james-zlatan-ibrahimovic-0227/">LeBron James, again told to stick to sports, shuts down soccer star Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s suggestion</a>

<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2021/03/01/knicks-playoff-contenders-eastern-conference/">The Knicks are rolling, and everyone is happy except their coach, who’s never happy</a>

Team LeBron made it a hat trick, winning the third quarter after taking each of the first two. That increased its contribution to the Thurgood Marshall College Fund to $450,000, and it gave LeBron James’s crew a 146-125 cumulative lead over Team Durant.

James himself, who had <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2021/02/05/lebron-james-nba-all-star-game/?itid=lk_inline_manual_43" target=_blank>complained last month</a> about the NBA’s intention to stage an All-Star Game this year, took the third quarter off. Giannis Antetokounmpo, who ended the quarter with 35 points on 16-of-16 shooting, and others more than picked up the slack.

Per the rules for the contest, 24 points — honoring the late Kobe Bryant — will be added to the leading team’s score to create a target score for an untimed fourth quarter. That means the first team to reach 170 points wins, and that Team Durant has a lot of catching up to do.

Des Bieler

When you’re hot you’re hot, and when you’re even hotter, you’re Giannis Antetokounmpo.

The Milwaukee Bucks forward has started the game with 16 makes in as many tries, including a couple of banked-in three-pointers. He has 35 points with five minutes left in the third quarter and looks to be well on his way to game MVP honors.

Perhaps befitting its status as the mere halftime entertainment this year, the All-Star Game’s dunk contest wasn’t an all-time classic. However, it represented a big moment for Anfernee Simons of the Portland Trail Blazers, who topped the New York Knicks’ Obi Toppin for the win.

A third contestant, Cassius Stanley of the Indiana Pacers, was eliminated after a two-dunk first round. In a one-dunk final, three of the five judges voted for Simons, who as a third-year player had an NBA experience edge on his opponents, both rookies.

In the final, Simons appeared intent on trying to kiss the rim after going very high to grab the ball off a bounce. His puckered lips didn’t quite get there, but it was still a better effort than that of Toppin, who aborted his first attempt in the final round before going between his legs to throw it down.

In another change from previous years, the winner was not determined by a cumulative score but by what was called a “Judges’ Choice” ruling. The five judges were all previous slam dunk contest champions — Dominique Wilkins (1985 and 1990), Dee Brown (1991), Jason Richardson (2002 and 2003), Josh Smith (2005) and Spud Webb (1986) — and three got their wins as members of the Hawks, befitting the game’s location in Atlanta.

In the first round, many thought Stanley was robbed on an initial attempt that received a score of 44, after he went through his legs off a bounce. In a preview of things to come, Simons showed off his hops in the first round by having the ball placed on a small plastic hoop affixed to the backboard at the height of the top of square. He leaped and grabbed the ball before slamming it in.

Toppin had arguably the most memorable first-round dunk when he lined up Knicks teammate Julius Randle and his father, Obadiah Toppin, in the lane. On his second attempt, Toppin flew over both to throw down the dunk with a windmill action.

NBA All Star Game Basketball

Team LeBron won the first quarter by one point. The second quarter wasn’t quite as close.

Team Durant was trounced in the second quarter, 60-41. That gave Team LeBron a cumulative advantage of 100-80, with that side’s Giannis Antetokounmpo leading all scorers with 24 points on 11-of-11 shooting.

By taking each of the first two quarters, Team LeBron won a total of $300,000 for the Thurgood Marshall College Fund. The cumulative score will be used to help set a target score in an untimed fourth quarter.

Team LeBron’s Stephen Curry had the second-most points with 22, including six makes on eight attempts from deep. Team Durant was led in scoring by Kyrie Irving, who had 15 points.

With just two minutes to go in the first half, Giannis Antetokounmpo was having a perfect night. The Milwaukee Bucks forward hit all 11 of his first 11 shots en route leading all scorers with 24 points.

Two other players, Stephen Curry and Jayson Tatum, had taken as many as nine shots at that point, and they were both six of nine from the field. Curry had 17 points, second-most among all players, and Tatum had 13, tied for the most for Team Durant.

Early in the second quarter, we had a Celtic staredown as Boston’s Jaylen Brown, playing for Team LeBron, went one-on-one against real-life teammate Jayson Tatum.

Tatum, playing for Team Durant, reminded everyone he played at Duke by slapping the floor before Brown drove to the right and got a step. Tatum was called for a rare foul, but Brown missed both free throws.

After Team Durant’s Mike Conley got the rebound off the second miss, he went back the other way and immediately found Tatum for an alley-oop dunk.

Score that sequence for Tatum over Brown.

BASKET-NBA-SPO-ALLSTARS

It figures that two teams of all-star-caliber players would understand that the most efficient shots in basketball are at the rim and from beyond the arc. Non-dunk two-point attempts were in predictably short supply in a first quarter that ended with Team LeBron beating Team Durant, 40-39.

Team LeBron’s Stephen Curry led all scorers with 12 points, including four of six shooting from three-point range, while teammate Giannis Antetokounmpo was close behind with 11 points on three dunks, a finger-roll layup and a three-pointer.

Kyrie Irving notched the first points of the game on a three and proceeded to lead team Durant with 10 points in the first quarter.

Fresh off a scintillating win in the three-point contest, Stephen Curry continued draining shots from deep in the All-Star Game. Ten minutes into the contest, the Golden State Warriors guard led all scorers with 12 points on four of seven shooting, four of six from three.

That barrage included a make from way, way, way beyond the arc.

Zion Williamson, starting in place of Joel Embiid, got his first All-Star Game appearance off to a flying start. The New Orleans Pelicans forward soared down the lane to throw down a dunk off a nifty feed from Jayson Tatum for the third basket of the game.

Later in the first quarter, however, Williamson failed on a dunk attempt not once but twice. He was in good company in that regard, though, as the same could be said of LeBron James. The leader of Team LeBron (duh) had a nifty reverse dunk early in the game but was less successful on a subsequent reverse attempt.

The only returning champion in the three-point contest field went home with the hardware for the second time in his seventh appearance.

Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry, the 2015 contest champion, scored 31 points in the first round and 28 points in the final round to claim this year’s trophy.

Curry’s 28 points barely edged Utah Jazz guard Mike Conley (27 points) in the final round, while Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (17 points) finished a distant third. Tatum wasn’t able to recapture the same rhythm he had in the first round, while Conley got hot at the top of the key and threw a scare into Curry.

Chicago Bulls guard Zach LaVine, Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell and Celtics forward Jaylen Brown were eliminated in the first round.

Curry missed his first four shots in the final round before draining both of his deep threes and closing strong to eke out the victory. He sealed his victory with a make on his final shot, a money ball from the right corner.

“[My mind] kind of went blank,” Curry said, when asked about the clinching moment in the mostly empty State Farm Arena. “Whatever crowd is in here, I could hear the temperature rise a little bit. It was an awesome competition. I’m glad I got it done.”

Ben Golliver

Blake Griffin

No better time to make news than Sunday night during the All-Star Game, right? Right.

The Brooklyn Nets abide by no rules of the news cycle when it comes to adding all-stars to their roster. The organization, already bloated with high-caliber talent, reached a deal with six-time all-star Blake Griffin for the rest of the season on Sunday evening, according to an <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/31024080/blake-griffin-agrees-deal-brooklyn-nets" target=_blank>ESPN report</a>.

Griffin, 31, isn’t the bruising, highflying monster at the rim that he used to be after a rash of injuries and averaged just 12.3 points 5.2 rebounds and 3.9 assists for Detroit before agreeing to a contract buyout over the weekend. But for a Nets franchise with designs on a championship this year, he should fit perfectly as a veteran role player who won’t have to adjust much based on the team’s established stars.

The former Clippers star also adds some size alongside his friend and former teammate DeAndre Jordan in the frontcourt. Chalk up another win for the Nets.

Ava Wallace

Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry, who won the Three-Point Contest in 2015, returned to headline the six-man field comprised entirely of all-stars. Joining Curry: Mike Conley of the Utah Jazz (an injury replacement for Devin Booker of the Phoenix Suns), Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown of the Boston Celtics, Donovan Mitchell of the Utah Jazz and Zach LaVine of the Chicago Bulls.

This year’s event includes five racks of five balls. Four racks included one “money ball” — worth double — while the fifth rack included all money balls. Additionally, each competitor attempted two shots from nearly 30 feet, worth three points. All contestants had 70 seconds to get as many points as possible. The top three scorers from the first round advance to the final.

Curry: 31. The Warriors guard needed two shots to warm up, but he was stuck on automatic the rest of the way to put up the first round’s top score by a wide margin. He advanced to the final round.

Tatum: 25. The Celtics forward drained one of his deep threes to boost his first-round score and advance.

Conley: 24. The Jazz guard was a late call-up and made the most of his opportunity, staying red hot throughout his round to put up the first round’s third-highest score and advance.

Lavine: 22. The Bulls guard opened with his money ball rack, hitting three of the five shots to start strong, but he missed both of the deep threes and was knocked out.

Donovan Mitchell: 22. The Jazz guard didn’t get much of a rhythm until a strong closing rack performance nearly kept him in the mix. He was bounced out.

Brown: 17. The Celtics guard went first and struggled out of the gate, starting slow and then bumping one of the racks while he shot to finish with the first round’s lowest score.

2021 NBA All-Star - Taco Bell Skills Challenge

For the fourth time in the past six years, a big man came out on top in the NBA Skills Challenge, an event whose fields used to be dominated by guards. This year, both finalists — Indiana Pacers center Domantas Sabonis and Orlando Magic center Nikola Vucevic — are listed at 6-foot-11.

While Vucevic got out to a faster start, Sabonis came back to even up the race during the three-point portion. Both players missed multiple attempts to end the competition from the three-point line, but Sabonis finally claimed the title by swishing a three-pointer.

Sabonis is the first member of the Pacers to win the competition, which was first held in 2003. He finished second last year.

“I just wanted to come out here and have fun with it,” Sabonis said. “I’m really excited. It’s for the fans and my family.”

After eliminating Julius Randle in the first round, Domantas Sabonis completed his second time through the course without a mistake, upsetting Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic to advance to the final round. Doncic missed three straight passes on the course, setting up Sabonis for a runaway victory.

In the other half of the bracket, Nikola Vucevic knocked out Phoenix Suns guard Chris Paul, who missed a layup and multiple attempts at the three-pointer.

That set up an all-big man showdown in the final round between Sabonis, whose father Arvydas was a Lithuanian legend, and Vucevic, who has competed for Montenegro’s national team.

One new factor in this year’s Atlanta-based All-Star Game is that Sunday’s festivities will help highlight and raise money for historically Black colleges and universities. Ahead of the skills challenge, Portland’s Robert Covington — the only active NBA player who attended an HBCU — did exactly that.

The 30-year-old forward didn’t compete in the pregame showcase in his Trail Blazers jersey but rather sported one from his alma mater, Tennessee State. He then awarded two $25,000 scholarships to a pair of Tennessee State athletes, prompting the TNT crew behind the desk to name Covington the automatic winner before the challenge was even underway.

“This is me using my platform,” Covington said. “I love Tennessee State, I just want to say congratulations and I’m excited to see what you guys do with everything.”

The Skills Challenge field features five all-stars and Portland Trail Blazers forward Robert Covington, a Tennessee State University graduate and the only current NBA player to attend an HBCU. Covington competed in the event wearing his old college jersey, as part of the NBA’s plan to honor HBCUs throughout the night.

Joining Covington: Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks, Chris Paul of the Phoenix Suns, Julius Randle of the Knicks, Domantas Sabonis of the Pacers and Nikola Vucevic of the Orlando Magic. Doncic and Paul were given byes in the first round, leaving a pair of first-round matchups: Sabonis versus Randle and Vucevic versus Covington.

This year’s format featured a weaving obstacle course, a pass through a circular target, a layup and a three-pointer.

Sabonis beat Randle, executing the pass, layup and three-pointer all on his first try. Randle missed his first pass and was playing from behind the rest of the way.

Vucevic edged out Covington, sinking his first three-pointer after completing the rest of the course flawlessly.

This year’s All-Star Game doesn’t have the usual weekend’s worth of fun and frivolity given that, you know, it’s taking place amid a pandemic, but that doesn’t mean we can’t have outfits! Bless James Harden for picking a translucent trench coat and lime-green kicks for an appearance on TNT ahead of the game. If you ever find yourself donning a boring white T-shirt and gray pants, now you know how to zest things up.

Adam Silver

As the NBA approaches the first anniversary of its March 11 shutdown, Commissioner Adam Silver expressed confidence that the worst of his league’s pandemic-related challenges, which included a four-month stoppage in play and billions in lost revenue, is in the past.

During his annual midseason news conference — conducted virtually Saturday from Atlanta, where the NBA is hosting a scaled-down All-Star Weekend — Silver repeatedly struck an optimistic tone, pointing to progress with the coronavirus vaccine and the league’s ability to function this season despite the significant health and safety challenges.

“The long-term health of the league is very solid,” Silver said. “Between last year and this year, we’re looking at considerable [financial] losses. I think when we all step back, we feel very fortunate to be working under these circumstances. My sense is the players feel the same way.”

Most of us are old enough to remember when a group of NBA players refused to play a basketball game to protest a cause they would help amplify, one both particular to and bigger than them. It happened way back in August, in Orlando, in the league’s hermetically sealed Disney World bubble.

In the wake of yet another of this country’s unnecessary police shootings of a Black man, the Milwaukee Bucks — composed, as is their league, mostly of Black players — <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2020/08/26/bucks-boycott-nba-playoff-game/?itid=lk_inline_manual_4&itid=lk_inline_manual_151">chose not to take the floor for a playoff game</a>. Instead, after the shooting <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/jacob-blake-is-no-longer-handcuffed-in-wisconsin-hospital-attorney-says/2020/08/28/3b188454-e953-11ea-bc79-834454439a44_story.html?itid=lk_inline_manual_4&itid=lk_inline_manual_151">of Jacob Blake</a>, who was <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/08/25/jacob-blake-kenosha-police-shooting/?itid=lk_inline_manual_4&itid=lk_inline_manual_151">left paralyzed from the waist down</a>, Bucks guards George Hill and Sterling Brown — the latter <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2020/11/09/sterling-brown-police-settlement/?itid=lk_inline_manual_4&itid=lk_inline_manual_151">himself a victim</a> of police harassment in Wisconsin — read a prepared statement explaining their defiance.

“We are calling for justice for Jacob Blake and demand the officers be held accountable,” read the statement. “For this to occur, it is imperative for the Wisconsin state legislature to reconvene after months of inaction and take up meaningful measures to address issues of police accountability, brutality and criminal justice reform.”

The players <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2020/08/27/nba-protests-power/?itid=lk_inline_manual_8&itid=lk_inline_manual_153">were widely applauded</a> for exercising collective might on such a critical issue. It was an option available to them before and always — including now.

If so many of their lot — highlighted by stars LeBron James, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kawhi Leonard and Kevin Durant — are opposed to chancing more travel in the pandemic to play the All-Star Game next month in Atlanta, there is a simple solution: Don’t.

<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2021/02/23/nba-players-all-star-game-boycott/?itid=lk_inline_manual_155" target=_blank>Read the full story</a>

Kevin Blackistone

NBA Phoenix Suns at Washington Wizards

Bradley Beal was named an all-star starter for the first time in his career, becoming the first Wizards player to earn a starting nod since John Wall in 2015. Beal will be making his third career all-star appearance on Sunday in Atlanta — he was named as a reserve in <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wizards-insider/wp/2018/01/23/wizards-bradley-beal-indeed-makes-his-first-nba-all-star-game-will-also-be-in-three-point-contest/?itid=lk_inline_manual_11&itid=lk_inline_manual_158">2018</a> and <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2019/02/01/wizards-bradley-beal-named-nba-all-star-second-consecutive-year/?itid=lk_inline_manual_11&itid=lk_inline_manual_158">2019</a> as one of seven players from each conference as voted by coaches before being left out completely in 2020.

“To go from being snubbed to starting this year, it’s a huge honor. I thank the fans. I thank my peers, the media, everybody who had a say in me voting, voting for me,” Beal said after he was announced as a starter on Feb. 18. “It’s a huge honor. I don’t take it for granted. It’s definitely motivation for me to continue to be a mentor, to be a better player. There’s so many guys who are more than deserving of being where I am, so please believe I don’t take it for granted.”

<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2021/02/18/bradley-beal-all-star-starter/?itid=lk_inline_manual_160" target=_blank>Read the full story</a>

Sunday’s NBA all-star telecast will kick off with what the league is describing as a “conversation” between Vice President Harris and actor Michael B. Jordan.

There were no details on the 8 p.m. Eastern time telecast on TNT, but Harris is a graduate of a Howard University, one of the Historically Black Colleges and Universities, and the game is generating $3 million for HBCUs. Jordan credited HBCUs for <a href="https://www.nj.com/sports/2020/12/njs-michael-b-jordan-bringing-college-basketball-showcase-for-hbcu-to-prudential-center.html" target="_blank">helping “shape me into the man I am today”</a> during the launch of his Hoop Dreams Classic in Newark, his hometown.

“I’m making sure that no one forgets that I’m not forgetting,” <a href="https://www.nj.com/sports/2018/11/michael_b_jordan_hasnt_forgotten_hometown_newark_a.html" target=_blank>he told NJ.com</a> in 2018. “Sometimes, when you get people that come out of certain places and go on a certain trajectory, they feel like they leave their roots behind. I never want that to be the case.”

The All-Star Game court in Atlanta was designed by artists who attended HBCU schools and Clark Atlanta University’s Philharmonic Society Choir will perform “Lift Every Voice and Sing.” Gladys Knight, who graduated from the HBCU school Shaw University will sing “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

Referees Tom Washington, Tony Brown and Courtney Kirkland all graduated from HBCUs.

Cindy  Boren

Warriors Magic Basketball

Three first-time selections will compete in the slam dunk contest: New York Knicks forward Obi Toppin, Portland Trail Blazers guard Anfernee Simons and Indiana Pacers guard Cassius Stanley.

The three-point contest features nothing but all-stars: Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors, Mike Conley of the Utah Jazz (replacing Devin Booker), Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown of the Boston Celtics, Donovan Mitchell of the Utah Jazz and Zach LaVine of the Chicago Bulls. This year’s event will include multiple shot attempts from six feet beyond the arc.

In the skills challenge, in which players dribble, pass and shoot in a timed, obstacle-course-like environment, there will be six competitors, including five all-stars: Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks, Chris Paul of the Phoenix Suns, Julius Randle of the Knicks, Domantas Sabonis of the Pacers and Nikola Vucevic of the Orlando Magic. Trail Blazers forward Robert Covington rounds out the group.

<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2021/03/02/nba-slan-dunk-contest-preview/?itid=lk_inline_manual_173" target=_blank>Read the full story</a>

Ben Simmons, Joel Embiid

Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons of the Philadelphia 76ers were game-day scratches from the NBA All-Star Game because both had contact with a barber who has tested positive for the <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/coronavirus/?itid=lk_inline_manual_2&itid=lk_inline_manual_176">coronavirus</a>.

The NBA made the announcement shortly after noon. The barber, who is in the Philadelphia area, tested positive after an initial test was inconclusive.

Simmons was to play for Team LeBron, Embiid on Team Durant.

<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2021/03/07/joel-embiid-ben-simmons-barber/?itid=lk_inline_manual_179" target=_blank>Read the full story</a>

LeBron James and Kevin Durant selected the 12-man rosters for Sunday’s All-Star Game.

James assembled a starting lineup that includes himself, Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry, Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic and Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic.

The Los Angeles Lakers forward filled out his bench with Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard, Philadelphia 76ers guard Ben Simmons, Phoenix Suns guard Chris Paul, Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown, Los Angeles Clippers forward Paul George, Indiana Pacers center Domantas Sabonis and, finally, Gobert.

Utah Jazz guard Mike Conley was named as an injury replacement for Booker.

Durant will sit out Sunday’s game with a hamstring injury but will still serve as a team captain by virtue of leading the East in all-star voting. He selected a starting lineup of guard Kyrie Irving, his Nets teammate; 76ers center Joel Embiid; Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard and Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal.

The Nets’ forward selected his other all-star teammate, James Harden, to lead a bench group that also included Suns guard Devin Booker, New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson, Chicago Bulls guard Zach LaVine, New York Knicks forward Julius Randle, Orlando Magic center Nikola Vucevic and Mitchell.

Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons of the Philadelphia 76ers were <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2021/03/07/joel-embiid-ben-simmons-barber/?itid=lk_inline_manual_187" target=_blank>game-day scratches because</a> both had contact with a barber who has tested positive for the <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/coronavirus/?itid=lk_inline_manual_2&itid=lk_inline_manual_187">coronavirus</a>.

<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2021/03/04/nba-all-star-game-draft-jazz/?itid=lk_inline_manual_188" target=_blank>Read the full story</a>

Bubbleball

Johns Hopkins University

BA in Writing Seminars

Greatest Of All Talk

Ben Golliver joined The Washington Post as the National NBA Writer in 2018. An Oregon native, he lives and works in Los Angeles.

Northwestern University, BS in journalism and history of the Americas 

Ava Wallace is the Wizards beat reporter for The Washington Post. Since joining the Post in 2015, she has covered college athletics, tennis and the WNBA. 

McGill University, Virginia Commonwealth University 

Des Bieler is a staff writer in Sports who covers a wide variety of topics, usually with an eye toward items of national interest. He first settled in at The Post in 1995 and has proved difficult to dislodge.

Kevin B. Blackistone, ESPN panelist and professor of the practice at the Philip Merrill College of Journalism at the University of Maryland, writes sports commentary for The Washington Post.

Southeast Missouri, BA in English and journalism

Cindy Boren arrived at The Post in 2000 as an assignment editor in charge of baseball and NFL/Washington Football Team coverage. She switched to full-time writing, focusing on national sports stories and issues, when she founded The Early Lead blog in 2010. 

Team LeBron dominates an NBA All-Star Game that feels incomplete

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